Moments of Being, Lifetimes of Meaning

Identity and Belonging in Community

Moments of Being is one of Creative Leaps’ most recent concert creations. The original concept for the program was based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Hours by Michael Cunningham and a book-long essay, In the Service of Life, by philosopher Elaine Prevallet. At its core, Moments of Being is an exploration of creativity and identity. What is our purpose in the universe, on the planet, and in our local communities? What is our responsibility, as thoughtful and creative beings, to the world in which we live? How can we discover and release our potentials, creative and otherwise – and how are they revealed to us through every passing moment of our lives?

Moments of Being opens with an invitation to recognize and experience the importance of imagination and mystery in the world and in ourselves. How do our impulses toward creativity and imaginative play change us (and the world around us)? And what are the modes of perception and questioning that propel us forward? We hear the words of Albert Einstein and William Blake work in tandem with the music of Frederic Chopin’s “Revolutionary Etude” to evoke an important Creative Leaps concept: “When art works, play’s the thing!”

The Concert’s focus then shifts to issues of time, mortality, and our purpose and usefulness in the world. The writings of Cunningham, Prevallet, and others serve as touchstones for important and difficult questions about the meaning of our lives – the days, the hours, the singular events – in the context of a greater universal awareness. This segment of the concert features several original compositions from the Creative Leaps team: “Women Minstrels,” a series of poems by flutist Donna Wissinger; “The Ballad of the Shadow of Truth,” by composer-lyricist, John Cimino; and “Eternity in a Moment”, a series of monologues based on the life and writings of Virginia Woolf, by actor/writer Krista Apple.

Moments of Being concludes with thoughtful reflections on compassion, community and “gratitude as the right attitude” as we consider the beauty and blessings of our planet Earth. The culminating music celebrates these values and includes “Litany” (text by Langston Hughes), performed by soprano Dianne Legro, and “All Good Gifts,” performed by baritone John Cimino, from the hit musical “Godspell.”

Why do we do it? Why do we go on? Why do we love life so much?

There is something in the details, a mystery behind the story…but there are times when I don’t even know what the story is…

But then, right now, I gaze upon all of you here in this room and I see a whole new world of possibilities! The wonders that you must know! The depths and secrets you each must contain! I beg of you, do not let them go unrecorded. Write them. Speak them. Live them. The possibilities are endless. A thousand possibilities in every passing moment.